Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai
by SimplyYoursForever
Summary: A story about jewel shards, mikos, a hanyou, and a few daiyokai. This story is set after the defeat of Naraku where they find a smaller portion of the jewel than they were hoping for. Now the ragtag group of friends must find the remaining shards and also find out what Naraku has planned before his death.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters or the original plotline of the Inuyasha anime/manga. Just know that this fic starts after the defeat of Naraku and, that I will twist some details from the original Inuyasha storyline to fit my purposes.

_**Quick warning: ****THIS FANFICTION IS WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON.**** **_

_**This fic starts in Kagome's POV but it will flip flop between her POV and Sesshomaru's POV as the story progresses. Everything will be explained as the story goes on**_. Thank you all so much for reading my fic. I hope you like it. :)

Update: This chapter has been updated as of 1/18/20. Thank you all so much for reading my story.

Shards, Mikos, Hanyou, and Daiyokai

Chapter One-

As I stood in an open field surrounded by my friends, my first thought was that we all dared to hope we would defeat Naraku. We all hoped that we could destroy him before he destroyed everything. Village after village had been attacked by Naraku and his incarnations. We always tried to help as much as we could but some villages didn't survive. The attacks were gruesome at best and horrifying at worst. We did everything we could for all the people we had to bury on our journey.

Close to the end of the battle, we threw everything we had at him, even Sesshomaru, as we desperately tried to bring this battle to an end. I shot Naraku with an arrow filled with all the power I could put into it. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha unleashed their attacks as well and when they all three hit Naraku… Naraku disappeared as if he never existed at all.

We were all wounded. I picked up the jewel that dropped to the ground in the place that Naraku was once standing. It was smaller than it should have been. I connected my remaining pieces to it. With the pieces that we had collected with the exception of Kouga's and Kohaku's jewel shards made the jewel only half completed. I hurried to heal everyone's wounds as much as I could without tiring myself.

I could hear Inuyasha walk up to me slowly. I turned around to show him what I had found. His face fell.

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. I knew you wanted it to be completed as much as I did," I whispered knowing he would hear me.

"It's alright, 'Gome. It isn't your fault. Now we have to figure out where the remaining jewel shards are. Knowing him, he may have something up his sleeve that we aren't going to like when we find the rest of the shards," Inuyasha answered just as quietly.

Sango who had been tending to Kohaku, turned to Kagome with a questioning look on her face.

"Do we have a completed jewel?" Miroku asked from his position on the ground a few feet away from Kagome and Inuyasha.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sesshomaru sit down against a nearby tree with his right knee drawn up, arm resting upon his knee. I looked over to Shippo who was sitting close to Miroku and Sango clearly wanting to come to me but knowing that something was wrong, so he stayed where he was. Jaken was standing next to Ah-Un close to where Sesshomaru was sitting against his tree. Rin sat atop of Au-Un quietly. Inuyasha chose that moment to unceremoniously plop himself on the ground to sit.

"No, Naraku must've hidden some of them," I said, biting my lip in worry.

Miroku sagged where he sat, disappointment written on his face. Sango leaned against Kohaku's shoulder as she held him close. Kirara tried to comfort the both of them the best she could by nuzzling in Kohaku's lap. Sesshomaru showed no emotion or any kind of reaction at Kagome's statement.

"That's no big deal. We just have to wait a little bit longer until we find all the shards so 'Gome can make her wish. That means we can spend some more time with her without the threat of Naraku, right?" Shippo asked with excitement in his voice.

"Shippo's right, Kagome. We have all enjoyed having you around while hunting for jewel shards and Naraku," Sango said as she stood to walk closer to Kagome.

"Yeah, because once you make the wish on the jewel, we might not ever see you again," Shippo said ringing his hands with a sad look on his face.

"Oh, Shippo," I held my arms open to the kit once I put the jewel in the vial around my neck.

Shippo ran into my arms and hugged me tightly before climbing on my shoulder.

"I guess we should head back to Edo to rest up before finding the rest of the jewel shards," Inuyasha spoke up.

"Sesshomaru, will you be accompanying us back to Edo?" I ask Sesshomaru curiously.

"This one has been away from the Western Fortress for too long. This Sesshomaru should head back as soon as possible to see what has happened in my absence," Sesshomaru answered as he stood up and carried Rin to sit on Ah-Un.

"Lord Sesshomaru, could we please spend one more day with Kagome-sama and the others before we go back?" Rin asked as politely as she could.

"This one supposes one more day couldn't hurt, but we must get back as soon as we are able," Sesshomaru answered her sternly.

Everyone gathered their things quickly before beginning the journey back to Edo.

-A few hours later-

The group had nearly made it to Edo when all of the villagers came out of the village to check on the group. The villagers knew that it was the day that they had taken on Naraku. Sango and Miroku went with Kaede to her hut. Inuyasha trailed behind them as they left.

"Shippo, go with the others while I go bathe," I gently put the fox kit down and ruffled the hair on his head before heading off to the spring to wash up.

I walk to the spring and slowly undress before stepping into the water. I sink down all the way up to my chin and relax. A short time later I grabbed my soap and washed myself before rinsing off and grabbing the towel I had sitting on a rock next to the side of the spring. I wrapped myself with it as I got out of the spring. I grabbed all of my things and hurried behind the nearest bush to get dressed before heading back to the village as quickly as I could. By the time I got back to the village it was nearing dark and everyone had gone into their huts to hunker down for the night. I walked to Kaede's hut and walked in to see Sango and Miroku asleep on the floor. Kaede was also asleep as well, so I grabbed my sleeping bag and Shippo, who was laying on Kirara, so that he could snuggle with me for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai**

Hello, again! Here is the next chapter of Shards, Mikos, Hanyou, and Daiyokai.

Update: This chapter has been updated as of 1/18/20.

This chapter is going to be told in Sesshomaru's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

*"**Sesshomaru's Beast Speaking**"

"Regular Conversation"*

Chapter 2 in Sesshomaru's POV:

I had followed the miko to the spring to make sure that no one would harm her while she bathed. As I sat against a tree a little distance away I started to think about the miko.

I had been watching her these last few moons. I've seen her grow into a strong and capable young woman. She's been a great help with Rin. I often debated the idea of asking her to help teach Rin what it means to be human because I thought the miko would make a good role model for Rin. The miko is a good mother figure as well for her kit. She may not know everything there is to know but it doesn't detract from her ability to mother the kit. It's unfortunate that he will have to leave soon to go to kitsune school, so he can learn the ways of trickery and such.

The kit has always been a point of curiosity to me because most miko would not even go near a full blooded yokai unless they had murderous intent, but this miko didn't seem to care whether one was a yokai or not. Puzzling indeed. I often wonder where it is, she came from. She dresses in unusual clothes and does not address people with power with their proper title. She treats everyone around her with a familiarity that is borderline naive. I do believe it's gotten her into trouble a few times.

I shook my head as I finished that last thought. I noticed the miko had come out of the water and was drying off and getting ready to head back to camp. I followed behind her and when she finally walked into Kaede's hut, I walked back to my camp with Rin and Jaken.

I noticed that Rin and Jaken had already retired for the night when I got back to the camp. I sat down against a tree nearby and let my eyes drift closed. Soon I was asleep as well.

-The next morning-

I woke up just as the sun started to rise and watched Rin sleep on her furs a few feet away from me for a few minutes before deciding that I needed to hunt for breakfast. I got up and walked the woods until I found a couple of rabbits. I killed the rabbits quickly, skinned them, and cut them up to bring back for Rin to cook and eat.

Jaken was awake when I got back to the camp, and he had started a fire. Rin was starting to wake up as well. I gave the meat to Jaken while Rin got up to get ready for the day.

At times having a ward was very pleasing. It was nice being able to have someone other than myself in my pack to take care of. She is a quiet thing, and she is mostly calm for such a young child. Most yokai children are far too excitable when they become old enough to walk and talk. Rin truly is a blessing.

Having a human or demon woman as a mate never truly interested me at any point in my life, but I am curious about this young miko. She's a puzzle that I would like to solve. My idiot half-brother has been chasing that clay golem for as long as she's been around, and I have seen how it affects the miko. She seems to be alright with it, but even I know better. She grows tired of Inuyasha not being able to choose who he would rather be with. The half-breed's priestess had left when the fight with Naraku was over, so I have no doubt we will see her again eventually.

I shall ask her today if she is willing to teach my ward. In return I could possibly train her to become a better fighter, so I don't have to rely so much on Inuyasha's capability to wield the Tetsaiga. I know that Rin would have to stay with the miko for a while so as to learn much before Kagome finishes the jewel. No one knows for certain what will happen to the Miko in the event that she wishes on the jewel at its completion. I do not like asking for help from anyone, but Rin simply refuses to leave my side. I want to be able to take care of her to the best of my ability. The Western Fortress is a dangerous place and there aren't any humans there who could help her learn. She is still very young, but I know she likes the miko. It is my intent to have Rin live in a human village as soon as possible. Being with me is very dangerous for her.

The sound of Rin's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Lord Sesshomaru, are we going to the village soon?" Rin asked after she finished her rabbit.

"We shall leave soon, Rin. We don't want to go too early in case they aren't awake yet," I answer calmly.

"Perhaps we should pack up camp. Right, milord?" Jaken asked as he extinguished the fire and got up to start putting his things away in Ah-Un's pack.

"Perhaps you should," I answer before getting up to wander toward the village.

I decided that I would go make sure that the humans were awake before walking Rin, Jaken, and Au-Un to the village. As I got closer to the village, I felt more than saw the miko come out of the elder priestess' hut.

"Oh, good morning, Sesshomaru!" She greeted me cheerfully.

"Good morning, Miko. Did you sleep well?" I ask her with a small smirk as I turn around to face her.

"I did, thank you!" She answered with a smile.

"Good. This Sesshomaru is going to retrieve Rin and Jaken. This one merely wanted to see if you were awake. This Sesshomaru will be back shortly," I turned on my heel and walked back the way I came.

When I got back to the camp, Jaken and Rin had already put everything away. They had been waiting patiently for me to return.

"Let us go to the village then," I waved for them to follow me as I walked back to the village.

When we got to the village the Miko was sitting outside with her kit and they were talking quietly to each other. When Rin approached, the kit and the miko turned their attention to her and greeted her with smiles.

"Hi, Rin!" Shippo greeted with a hug.

"Good morning, Rin," the miko greeted with a smile.

"Miko, can we talk privately?" I ask as the children take off to play a game.

"As long as we don't go too far," the miko answered looking at her kit.

"We will be close enough if any trouble comes, this Sesshomaru will make sure of it," I'm quick to reassure the young miko as we start walking towards Inuyasha's forest.

The miko followed me quietly as went further into the forest. I stopped when I felt like we were far enough away from prying ears but not too far away from the children and asked her my question.

"Would you consider teaching this one's ward what it means to be ningen?" I ask her quietly.

"That would mean that she would have to stay with me for a time," the miko answered considering, "I don't know if you would want her to stay with us while we travel though."

"In return for teaching her how to be ningen, this Sesshomaru would be willing to teach you how to properly fight," I offered after a few moments of consideration.

Logically, Rin would have to stay with her to learn her ways effectively which would mean that I would teach the miko during the time Rin is with her. This way, she can properly watch over my ward if anything were to happen along the way. I am hoping that by having Kagome help her to learn how to be human and being around other human's would convince Rin to decide to stay in the human village. I didn't want to owe the miko a debt by asking for her help, so I offered to teach her something in return for teaching my ward.

"So, you plan to travel with us while we find the rest of the shards?" the miko looked up at me as she asked.

"Rin is still young and impressionable. She has not been around ningen while in this Sesshomaru's care. This Sesshomaru feels woefully incapable of teaching her the things she needs to know. She doesn't seem inclined to want to stay in a ningen village on her own, so it leaves me with little choice," I responded trying to lay it on thick, so she wouldn't think that I was trying to push her on the miko and her friends.

The miko sat down on the ground quietly in thought. I chose a tree not far away from her to lean against and stood with my arms crossed waiting for her answer.

"I would teach Rin what she should know to the best of my abilities. I just wouldn't want to cause you any trouble in the meantime. There are demons everywhere, and some wouldn't hesitate to harm the ward of the Lord of the West. I am incapable of protecting her right now, and I would have to talk to the others to see if they would be alright with her traveling with us. Inuyasha won't be too happy about it," the miko nearly whispered that last part to herself.

"This Sesshomaru hardly cares what the half-breed thinks. This Sesshomaru wouldn't just leave her with you, regardless because this Sesshomaru would teach you how to protect her in exchange for you teaching her what she needs to know. This Sesshomaru would be around as much as possible to help you with your training and to also learn things for Rin so that if she chooses to stay, this Sesshomaru could know what it is she needs so that this Sesshomaru may be able to help her in the future in the event that you are no longer around," I answer somewhat miffed at her worrying over the half-breed's feelings.

"You could drop the honorifics while it's just the two of us you know," the miko said in a teasing tone.

"Or you could use my title as one of my station deserves," I retort with my eyebrow raised slightly.

"Okay, Lord Sesshomaru," she added an emphasis to my name as she grinned cheekily, "I will speak with my friends and see if they would be alright with Rin traveling with us. We will be seeing you fairly often I presume, so I shall ask them what they think of the situation. I would be more than happy to teach Rin, and I would be more than grateful if you taught me how to defend myself."

"Do not wait too long to answer this Sesshomaru. I will have to leave for the Western Fortress today to make sure all is right in my absence. I ask that you keep Rin for the day, and I shall return tomorrow morning as a test to make sure she is comfortable with the transition. Jaken will take over my duties at the Fortress when I leave to travel with you and Rin."

"If I may," she began looking at me for an answer that I gave with a nod of my head, "can I speak with her to see how she would like this arrangement while you are gone? I don't want to make her uncomfortable. Although, I am sure she wouldn't mind as long as you were around to make sure she was alright. She worries when you leave her for any period of time."

"This Sesshomaru is aware of his ward's feelings. That is why when I leave, I try to make sure it isn't for very long. Jaken can be insufferable."

The miko laughed after I was finished speaking. I gave her a pointed stare before she immediately stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. I was just thinking about all those times he got a bump on the head from a rock being thrown his way. It was quite funny to see," she giggled some more after she finished speaking.

"Sometimes he deserves it," I allow with a small smirk on my face.

This woman is definitely unafraid to be around me that much is for certain. She had to know that I was the one who threw the rocks at Jaken when he was being particularly annoying and she still chooses to laugh. I find that I don't mind the sound of her laugh.

"**This miko is a curious creature**," my beast purrs in the back of my mind.

"So she is," I answer back in my mind.

"I shall be leaving as soon as I collect Ah-Un and Jaken. You are free to speak with my ward as you wish, miko," I move to start walking back towards the village as I'm speaking.

The miko hurriedly gets up and starts walking behind me. We walk all the way back to the village and see the children doing something to Jaken. Upon closer inspection it looks as though they are putting flower crowns on his head. The miko starts laughing again once she sees Jaken.

"Why Jaken, you look beautiful," she manages to get out between giggles.

The children immediately start laughing at Jaken's expense because of the miko's complement. Jaken blushes and immediately stands up to knock all the flower crowns off of his head all the while making noise and stamping his feet.

"This Sesshomaru didn't think you were the sort to wear flowers upon your head, Jaken," I say with a smirk to further Jaken's embarrassment.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what have I done to deserve this?!" Jaken squawked loudly as he took off the remaining flower crowns and moved to grab Au-Un's reigns.

"Jaken, we are leaving. Rin, you will stay with the miko and her friends until I return tomorrow morning. Do not misbehave," I announce to Rin and Jaken.

Rin walks up to me and holds her arms out to me. I kneel down and allow her to give me a hug.

"Be careful, My Lord. Rin will behave for Lady Kagome," Rin said as she hugged me.

I released her and turned to the miko before nodding. Then I turned and walked out of the village before summoning my yoki cloud to return to the Western Fortress.

*Thank you for sticking with me. I'm still getting in the hang of writing again. I haven't written in so long, that I worry this story won't come out how I want it to. I appreciate the favorites and the follows. I hope I don't disappoint! I will try to post new chapters regularly. *


	3. Chapter 3

**Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai**

Update: This story has been updated as of 1/18/20.

**I will also be including the ages of all involved in this story in the next chapter. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention that I had yet to mention anyone's age.**

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for the reviews. I am glad that you like my story so far.

This chapter is going to be told in Kagome's POV.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

*I decided to change up the original storyline a little bit. Please bear with me.*

Chapter 3:

After Sesshomaru left for the Western Fortress, I took the children to Kaede's hut. Kaede, Sango, and Miroku were sitting around the fire they had built in Kaede's hut to make breakfast. Sango and Miroku were still eating when we came in.

"Good morning, Kagome," Sango greeted me with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Lady Kagome," Miroku greeted with an eyebrow raised.

"Ye seem to have stumbled upon a child outside," Kaede looked at me curiously.

"Good morning, Sango and Miroku. Yes, Sesshomaru left Rin in my care for the day," I answered.

I sat the two children down next to the fire. They sat close together, knees nearly brushing. Rin is much larger than Shippo I note to myself, but I doubt that will last forever.

"Rin, have you eaten breakfast?" I asked the young girl.

"Yes, lady Kagome," Rin answered cheerfully.

I fixed Shippo's breakfast before handing it to him. I fixed my own portion soon after and started to eat.

"He left Rin in your care for the day, Lady Kagome? Has something happened at the Western Fortress?" Miroku asked with concern after I had settled into my spot.

"Oh, no. Everything is fine as far as I know. Of course, if something were wrong, he more than likely wouldn't let me know about it anyways. He and I made a deal of sorts that I need to speak with all of you about," I respond casually.

"And what deal would the Lord of the West make with ye, Kagome?" Kaede asked with a curious glint in her gaze as she looked at me.

"Shippo, could you take Rin and go outside? Do not go too far away from this hut. Do you understand?" I turned to look at Shippo as I asked.

"Of course, Kagome. We will not wander too far," Shippo said as he grabbed Rin's hand and led her outside.

I watched them leave the hut and felt their auras settle a little way away from the hut most likely playing with the flowers again. Once I knew about where they were, I turned back to my friends and answered Kaede's question.

"Sesshomaru asked me to teach Rin how to be human in return for teaching me how to properly fight. I told him that I would have to speak with all of you about it. I know Inuyasha wouldn't be too pleased to have his brother so close longer than necessary, but I want to help Rin. I think Sesshomaru is genuinely concerned for Rin because he cannot properly teach her what she needs to know. I would like to learn how to properly fight and defend myself as well. We can only guess what Naraku has in store for us now that he's no longer around. He purposely made sure that we would not have the completed jewel at his death," I tried to appear nonchalant as I spoke but secretly I was worried about their reaction to the news I shared with them.

"It was kind of Lord Sesshomaru to offer to teach you how to properly fight. I am not sure how to respond to him wanting you of all people to teach Rin how to be human. You are part of his brother's group. We know that he always talks of his distaste of humans, with the exception of Rin. It seems as though he has taken a liking to you, Kagome," Miroku answered with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I agree with Miroku. He has been traveling with us these last few moons and hasn't expressed any interest in asking you to teach Rin until now. I wonder if it's because the jewel isn't completed that he decided to ask you now before you make the wish," Sango wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure of his intentions to tell the truth. He is honorable, so I didn't think he was trying to be sneaky or do anything to harm me or Rin. In fact, he would be putting himself in the position of taking care of our group for the sake of protecting Rin. We know Inuyasha will not be happy to have Rin traveling with us," I answer before laying down on my back with arm over my eyes, " I asked Sesshomaru to speak with Rin about it to make sure she is comfortable with the arrangement because she will have to be closer to me in order for her to learn. I'm sure she hasn't learned what changes her body will go through as she becomes older. I also worry for Shippo as well. We know he thinks of me as his mother figure. I worry how he will take it as well."

Not to mention that Inuyasha isn't around which leads me to believe that he is with Kikyo, I tack on in my mind. I noticed she had left after the battle yesterday. I figured Inuyasha would go after her. I truly don't care if he is okay with Sesshomaru and Rin being around, but I don't want to deal with unnecessary drama when it comes to him. I've had a crush on him since not long after I met him, but he's always gone to Kikyo when he saw her soul collectors nearby. After what happened with that witch and Kikyo once again became part of this world, Inuyasha has stubbornly followed her every time he saw her soul collectors. I know she wants to drag him to hell with her. I've tried talking to him about it, but he's too stubborn to listen, or he truly wants to go to hell with her. I can't stand being second best to Kikyo. I am my own person. It took a little while, but I finally got over my feelings for Inuyasha. He's been a good friend to me, but he's also been pulling away little by little. The uncertainty of not knowing what will happen when I make the wish on the jewel has been weighing heavily on all of our minds. We know that only three things can happen. The first thing that can happen is that I become trapped here in the feudal era. The second thing that can happen is that I become trapped in my own time. The third thing that can happen is that I can go between times like I have been doing since I was dragged down the well the first time. We won't know for sure until we complete the jewel.

"Kagome," Sango called my name, pulling me from my thoughts, "I know that it's been hard for you since you've been in this era, and we have always been here for you as much as we possibly could be. I think you should take up Lord Sesshomaru's offer and teach Rin. I can help too, if you would like. Sesshomaru could teach you how to harness your reiki and be able to use it better than we ever could. Perhaps he can teach you how he uses is yoki, and you can modify it to how you use your reiki. It's worth a try considering it's essentially the same as far as power and defense are concerned."

"I think Sango is right, Kagome. He might be the best to help you learn how to properly use your powers. It isn't like we could go find a priestess to teach you properly. Most Miko are not fond of demons no matter how they act. You have not only taken one in to take care of but you travel with a full-grown half-demon. Not many priestesses would take kindly to that. We want you to learn how to properly fight. Sango and I didn't feel like we could teach you appropriately along this journey especially since my main form of fighting and defense came from my wind tunnel that I no longer have," Miroku held up his hand so that I could see his wind tunnel was no longer there.

"I appreciate your opinions very much. I just want to talk to Rin to make sure. He wants an answer by tomorrow morning. I guess we can wait for Inuyasha to get back, so we can talk to him about it," I end the conversation by standing up to go outside where the children are.

Rin and Shippo sat a little way away from the hut picked flowers and turning them into crowns. I saw that Rin had a bundle of flowers over her right ear. Her hair was holding the bundle to her ear. It was adorable. I walked over to them and sat down.

"Kagome, is everything alright?" Shippo asked jumping up and running into my lap.

I pat his head and hugged him close before answering.

"Everything is fine, Shippo. I wanted to talk to you and Rin now if that's okay," I said as I sat Shippo in my lap.

"Okay," they bother chirped together.

Rin stopped playing with the flowers and turned to face me so that I knew she was paying attention. Must be something Sesshomaru taught her, I thought wryly.

"How would you feel if you traveled with me for a while, Rin? I would teach you what changes your body will grow through as you get older, and help you to understand things you should know as a human," I pat Shippo's head as I spoke.

"Really?! Lord Sesshomaru would let Rin travel with us?" Shippo jumped up excitedly.

I grabbed Shippo and pulled him to me. He immediately calmed down. I looked at Rin and saw her indecision.

"Lord Sesshomaru will be around, of course. He would never just leave you, Rin," I said reassuringly.

"Rin would like to travel with you and Shippo, Lady Kagome as long as Lord Sesshomaru is alright with it," Rin answered quietly.

"You can call me Kagome, Rin. Sesshomaru and I don't want to make you uncomfortable. We want to help you as best we can, okay?" I reach a hand out to Rin for her to come closer.

Rin hesitantly walked closer to me and Shippo before grabbing my outstretched hand. I pulled slightly and she moved to sit beside me, so I could hug her to me.

"We want you with us, Rin. We would enjoy your company, and you will have Shippo to play with as well as your studies with me. Okay?" I said reassuringly.

I'll have to make a trip home I thought to myself. I need to get a couple books to help her learn to read. She should know the basics of how to read and write for certain as well as some math. I may get her some books on herbs, so that if she ever had the need, she could use herbs to heal herself or anyone else that she would want to heal. I graduated not long before we defeated Naraku, so I didn't carry around books anymore, not that they would have been the best for Rin to learn from. With my plan in mind, I decided to spend the rest of the morning with Rin and Shippo.

-Lunchtime-

"Oi, wench, why is the brat here?" Inuyasha asked me when he spotted Rin, Shippo, and I playing before we headed inside to eat lunch.

"She has a name, Inuyasha. I also have a name as well. Maybe you could start using them," I respond tartly.

How I hated when he called me wench or any other name besides my give name.

"You didn't answer my question," Inuyasha crossed his arms.

"If you would have been here instead of with Kikyo, you would know what's going on, Inuyasha," I answer bitingly.

I grabbed both of the children's hands and walked them to Kaede's hut. I heard Inuyasha sputter and make indignant noises behind me.

"Go inside. I'll be there in just a minute, okay?" I pat both of their heads before they walk inside like I asked.

"What did you mean by that, wench?" Inuyasha asked stalking up to me.

"Exactly what I said Inuyasha. Rin will be traveling with us starting today. If you were here earlier, you would have already known this. Sango and Miroku are okay with the arrangement," I cross my arms over my chest and send a glare his way.

"You spoke about this without me here? How could you? You knew I wouldn't agree with it," Inuyasha pointed at me as he glared.

"Again, if you weren't gallivanting with Kikyo then you would have known this morning when we discussed it. As it stands, you'll just have to deal with it since you weren't here when we made the decision as a group. Not to mention that having Rin around wouldn't be that much of a problem regardless," I dismiss him with a wave of my hand as I entered Kaede's hut.

Sango, Miroku, Kaede, Rin, and Shippo were all sitting around the fire with meat in their hands. Inuyasha must have hunted on his way back from Kikyo, I thought with wry amusement. Too bad it won't save him from looking like an idiot. Sango handed me my share of the meat as I sat down next to her.

"I take it Inuyasha isn't too happy about Rin?" Miroku asked with a smirk.

"It doesn't really matter if he's happy or not. Rin is coming with us," I respond angrily.

"It's not Kagome's fault that he's been out all night and all morning," Sango said before taking another bite of the meat in her hand.

"Keh!" Inuyasha made a noise outside the hut.

"At least we know he's listening," Miroku chuckled.

"Oh, and I don't want Rin to hear you saying bad things about Sesshomaru. If you must say something then say it away from her, Inuyasha," I say loudly to get Inuyasha's attention.

"Now you want too much, woman," Inuyasha growled as he threw the mat open to walk into the hut.

"I mean it. Sesshomaru has been good to Rin, and I won't have you bad mouthing him around her," I folded my arms across my chest having finished eating moments before.

"Now you listen here..." Inuyasha trailed off as I stood up and grabbed his arm pulling him outside with me.

"No, you listen. She is just a child. I was asked to help her, and I plan on helping her. You of all people should understand. Please do not make this any harder than it has to be. I'm sure you haven't considered how your words and actions have affected her since your return from the woods? I'm sure she feels just terrible seeing you act like this and saying you don't want her around. It must make you feel so proud to stomp on a little girl's feelings like that, Inuyasha," I glare at him with my hands on my hips.

"Now wait a minute," Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head," I wasn't trying to be mean to the girl. I just know that having her around means that he'll be around too. He's been around long enough, and we don't exactly get along."

"Grow up, Inuyasha. He doesn't care about your lack of relationship with him, he only cares about Rin and her happiness even if it means asking for another human's help. I guess he considers me trustworthy enough to help Rin. I want to help her, okay? He offered to help me in exchange by teaching me how to properly fight," I said trying to placate him.

"He's really gonna teach you how to fight? That's unheard of. Whatever you're doing for Rin must be really important to him," Inuyasha scratched his jaw as he spoke, considering.

Unheard of, indeed, I thought to myself.

"He'll be back in the morning to hear my answer. I will have to go home and get a few things before we leave, so I'll go in the morning after I speak with him. Let's just have a quiet rest of our day, healing up and relaxing. Then we can head out as soon as I get back," I threw over my shoulder as I entered Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha followed me and sat near the door against the wall.

"So, it looks like everything is settled. Did I hear you were going home in the morning?" Miroku asked curiously.

"I'm just gonna grab a few things to help me teach Rin and then I'll come right back. I should have books in my house and if not, it's a quick trip to the store to buy them. I'll need to get pencils and paper as well. Maybe some coloring books and crayons," My voice trails off as I get lost in thought thinking about what I need to bring.

"Sounds like a big list. Will you need help?" Sango inquired.

"No, they're all small items that can easily fit in my backpack. I wonder if Sesshomaru would let me use Ah-Un for the trip. I don't think Rin can handle the distances we travel being that she's still young. The books and stuff would be heavy to carry for hours on end as well," I murmur to myself thoughtfully.

"You could ask him tomorrow, Kagome," Sango elbowed me with a smile on her face.

"I sure will. Alright, enough with the heavy stuff, let's go outside and play!" I grab Rin and Shippo's hands and lead them outside to play tag and hide and seek.

As we played the day began to fade away into early dusk. We stopped playing to eat supper. After supper Shippo and Rin curled up against me and together we fell asleep.

(This chapter has been a little longer than the first two, but it came out how I wanted so that's all that counts.)


	4. Short Message

Due to a review on my story, I will be rewriting some of the story to better fit with what I was trying to get across as the story progresses. I will make sure to leave notes to let you all know that I have changed it, so that you may go back and reread it. It will take a little time for the enemy to become known, and our group will have to face smaller enemies along the way. I do not want to spoil it too much, so that's all I can say for now. ;)

Thank you so much for your reviews. They are greatly appreciated. I will do the best I can in regards to writing this story. Sometimes I find it difficult to get across the importance of certain points as it flows together as the story goes on. I just ask that anyone reading this story that likes it, to be patient. Thank you for sticking it out with me. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend.

Update: All three chapters have been updated as of 1/18/20. In the fourth chapter, I will make sure to list everyone's age.

Side Note/Reason For the Update: My original thought for Rin was for her to become someone important in Sesshomaru's court. I wanted her to be able to stay with Sesshomaru. I realize that it would be dangerous for humans to be around a lot of yokai, but I was going to make her an exception because who doesn't love Rin? Kagome is a miko, and I figured perhaps Rin could come into miko powers herself or some other power that would help her have an advantage. Also as time progresses, humans take over anyway (at least in my opinion based on the anime/manga of Inuyasha), so I thought she could help with the transition. And who knows? Maybe she would mate a yokai and live for hundreds of years. I have a couple ideas in mind when it comes to Rin, and she will become significant to the story over time. Teaching her is not a waste of time and the enemies are not quick to attack as of yet. They are still planning, especially so soon after Naraku's demise. Sesshomaru might also learn that ultimate conquest may not be the only thing that's worth pursuing, and we all know that the west eventually falls to the humans according to the original story. Also let's not forget that in the anime/manga, Sesshomaru left Rin in Kaede's care towards the end of everything, so one way or the other it was emphasized that she did eventually live in the human village and/or was taught by a human. Kagome is not going to develop a romantic relationship with Inuyasha, so I figure Kagome would make the better choice considering Kaede is much older. This story isn't going to end in five chapters. I wanted to spend time developing relationships for the characters a tiny bit before launching into defeating the enemy and living happily ever after or whatever happens to Kagome when she makes the wish on the jewel. (hint, hint... nudge, nudge) ;)

That's all for now. I just wanted to explain the reason for the changes in the story as well as the thought process behind why it was written like that in the first place. Thank you all so much, and I will have the next chapter out soon. :)


	5. Chapter 4

**Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai**

Hello! Thank you for your wonderful reviews, follows, and likes. 😊

With that said, here is the list of ages for the characters in this story:

Kagome: 18 years old

Inuyasha: *

Sesshomaru: *

Rin: 11 years old

Shippo: *

Sango: 19 years old

Miroku: 21 years old

*Please keep in mind that knowing what age the yokai are is extremely difficult considering that the Inuyasha manga/anime is a contradiction of itself at the end as far as age goes. Yokai obviously age differently. Sesshomaru has lived for hundreds of human years, but he doesn't look any older than maybe 19 or 20. It stands to reason that most yokai don't measure age. I really would prefer not to give Inuyasha, Shippo, Kouga or Sesshomaru an age at all considering that it is understood from the manga/anime that they have lived a long time. As far as maturity goes, you can't really place a number on that either because every single person matures differently, and I'm sure that it's the same with yokai whether they are hanyou or not. No one knows for certain exactly how old Sesshomaru, Shippo, Kouga, or Inuyasha is. Nowhere in this story is their age gonna be mentioned. I would also like to say that if at any point during this story there is anything sexual... all parties are of age to decide if they want something like that to happen. At least for the purposes of this story.*

This chapter is going to be told in Kagome's POV.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Chapter 4:

I woke up the next morning feeling comfortable and warm. I looked down to see Rin and Shippo hugged close to me. They seemed comfortable and happy to be together. I was worried that Rin would feel bad about what Inuyasha had said the day before. She is such a nice girl and well mannered. I would hate for Inuyasha to make her feel bad. I slowly slid out from under the covers careful not to disturb the children too much. I walked over to the fire pit and started a fire, so that it would be ready to cook breakfast and so that I could make tea for myself. After I finished preparing the tea, I stepped outside. Sesshomaru was walking out of the woods close to Kaede's hut.

"Good morning, Sesshomaru. How is everything at the Western Fortress?" I inquire politely.

"Good morning, Miko. Everything is going well at the Fortress. I trust you have an answer for me about yesterday's conversation?" Sesshomaru looked at me with a questioning look in his gaze.

"I discussed it with the group and they agreed that it would be alright to have Rin in the group for a while. Rin seems comfortable enough with the situation. I would like to ask a question, if you don't mind?"

Sesshomaru shook his head after I finished speaking to indicate that he didn't mind my question.

"Why did you choose me to teach Rin?" I ask cautiously.

"This Sesshomaru has noticed, over the last few moons that we have been traveling, that you are very protective of the kit. You also took it upon yourself to mother the kit after he lost his parents. It takes great courage and strength to try to raise a full-blooded yokai. You have been successfully protecting the kit thus far and have proven yourself to have a strong character. You are the role model that Rin needs to learn from, so that she can grow into a woman," Sesshomaru was gazing at me with a strange look in his eyes.

He looked to be fighting with something internally. Instead of asking, I merely thanked him for his observations and continued to drink my tea. Sesshomaru sat down gracefully with his back to the wall of Kaede's hut, and I took a seat beside him. Inuyasha walked up to us carrying a skinned boar. He dropped it at my feet and turned to look at his brother.

"I guess you will be traveling with us then," Inuyasha said gruffly before walking inside.

After a few more seconds of silence I start talking.

"I was expecting more of a fight from him, honestly. He said that it was unusual for you to want to train someone like me, and I have to agree with him. You're essentially helping me learn how to kill yokai," I glance over at Sesshomaru as I speak.

"This Sesshomaru is helping you learn how to defend yourself against enemies of any kind whether it be human, yokai, or something else entirely," Sesshomaru corrected me with a stern look on his face.

"I apologize, Sesshomaru. I was merely saying that it is odd that you would help me learn how to fight being that I am a miko and you are a yokai. Others may talk if they see you helping me," I finished my tea after I spoke.

After a few seconds of waiting and no answer was forthcoming from Sesshomaru, I stood up and walked into the hut to get my knife and the wraps that I used to hold the freshly cut up meat. I walked back outside and proceeded to cut the boar with efficiency. I had to learn how to cut up the meat for us to eat on occasion. It seemed unfair for Miroku or Sango to have to do it all the time. Inuyasha insisted that he did enough by hunting and skinning animals that the rest of us should pick up the slack. Before long I had all the meat ready to cook. I stacked it on my wrap before I got up carry the carcass to the forest behind Kaede's hut to deal with later. As I came back around to the entrance, I grabbed the cut-up meat to carry inside with me. It was then that Sesshomaru spoke up.

"What you are doing for me is well worth the implications if someone were to see us," Sesshomaru spoke quietly enough that I would hear but no one else.

I paused a moment before walking to the hut and opening the flap to walk into the hut before pausing to look at Sesshomaru. I vowed to myself that I would think about what Sesshomaru had said when I had more time.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?" I ask holding the flap open for him to walk in.

"This Sesshomaru has already eaten, but this one will come in with you," Sesshomaru answered following me into the hut.

Sesshomaru sat down next to Rin and Shippo. I noticed Shippo was awake and sitting beside Rin quietly. I sat on the other side of Rin and Shippo. I nudged his little arm with my elbow before giving him a smile. He smiled back at me showing his fangs. A short time later I noticed Sesshomaru shook Rin's shoulder gently to wake her up.

"Good morning, Rin. Did you listen to the miko while this one was gone?" Sesshomaru asked her quietly.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru. Rin wasn't expecting to see you so soon," Rin whiped her eyes and smiled toothily at him.

Sesshomaru pat her head a couple times and then let his hand drop to his lap. I started cooking the boar in the meantime while I noticed Sango, Kaede and Miroku getting up. They put away their sleeping stuff so that they could sit next to each other by the fire. Inuyasha was sitting on the far wall with his sword leaning against it.

"Good morning Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru," Sango greeted cheerfully.

"Ah yes, good morning, Kagome. Did you sleep well?" Miroku asked casually.

"I slept fine, Miroku. Thank you for asking. Good morning, Sango," I answer as I watch the boar cook.

After a time when no one spoke Sesshomaru broke the silence.

"This Sesshomaru is grateful that you are allowing the miko to teach Rin," Sesshomaru announces.

I can't help but stare at him in shock. This is completely unusual of the normally stoic and quiet daiyokai. I couldn't help but notice the shocked stares of Miroku and Sango. It would have been hilarious if it weren't for the situation they currently found themselves in.

"Y-you're welcome, Lord Sesshomaru," Miroku recovered first.

"We are more than happy to help Rin in any way we can, Lord Sesshomaru," Sango said quietly.

"Keh! Suck ups," Inuyasha griped from his spot against the wall.

"I need to go back to my home and get some supplies for Rin and Shippo. Shippo told me that he was getting close to the age that he would have to leave to go to Kitsune school. I want to teach him some of the things I want to teach Rin in case... Well, we really don't know what's gonna happen once I make the wish on the jewel. I want to do all I can while I can," I finish brightly trying to hide the fact that I am saddened that I can't control what happens when I do make a wish on the jewel.

I don't want to lose my friends. I don't want to lose my family either.

"This one will walk with you to the well once you are finished," Sesshomaru spoke up interrupting my thoughts.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," I respond.

When the boar is finished cooking, I give everyone their share and we eat in silence. As soon as I am finished, I grab my bag and motion to Sesshomaru that I am ready as I walk out of the door. Sesshomaru follows me out, and we walk in silence to Inuyasha's forest.

"Miko," Sesshomaru grabs my arm and makes me stop once we are a little ways into the forest.

"Yes, Sesshomaru?" I ask as I look up into his face.

Sesshomaru releases my arm and takes a step back to give me my space before he answers.

"This one wants you to be back by the end of the day."

I nod my head to him in answer before remembering that I had wanted to ask him about Ah-Un. I hadn't noticed him if he was around, so I wasn't sure if Sesshomaru brought him back from the Western Fortress.

"Could I ask that you bring Ah-Un with us? I would appreciate his help with carrying my things. That's if you don't mind. It would also be helpful to have a place for Rin to ride should she get tired of walking. She is still young."

"It is a good thing that Ah-Un is already here," Sesshomaru said by way of answer as he began walking again.

We continued to walk towards the well in silence. As we approached it, I sat on the edge and looked at Sesshomaru. I realized that I never actually told Sesshomaru where it is I come from so falling into the well might come as a quite a shock.

"This well brings me back to my time. My home is 500 years in the future. When I was first dragged here by Mistress Centipede is when I found out that the well acts like a portal from my time to this time. I just wanted you to know that I realize it is a dry well, but the magic keeps me from hitting the bottom. You'll see once I jump in," I explain the well to Sesshomaru as calmly and as quietly as possible so if anyone was listening, they wouldn't be able to overhear.

"Alright, Miko. This Sesshomaru shall be here to meet you when you come back. This one would like to help you with your things," Sesshomaru answered after my explanation.

"Please just keep in mind that not many people know about the well and the only person who has ever been able to go to my time besides me is Inuyasha. My time is very different from this era," After a few seconds of sitting quietly I whispered," I better go or I'll never make it back."

I swung my legs over to sit with my feet dangling over the inside of the well.

"Your secret is safe with me, Miko. Now go. This one will be here when you get back."

Without a backwards glance, I jump into the well. The magic of the well comes up and surrounds me in blue before I land softly at the bottom of the well in my time.

"Kagome, you're back!" I hear a voice call to me as I work my way up the ladder.

***This chapter is kind of short. I wanted Sesshomaru and Kagome to have the conversation about the well as a means to show she is starting to trust Sesshomaru just a little bit.***


	6. Chapter 5

**Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai**

Told in Kagome's POV

(I'm going off of the idea that moons are days.)

***Friendly reminder: Sessy doesn't have his arm back yet. He only has one arm right now.

Chapter Five:

"Hey Souta, how have you been?" I ask as I climb over the lip of the well.

"I've been doing okay. It's been quiet around here. Grampa has been cleaning up around the shrine, and Buyo has been hanging around the well a lot lately," Souta answered.

"He must've been missing me," I say as Buyo brushes up against my legs.

I bend down to pet him before he stalks off to the house. After Buyo left, Souta and I walked into the house. It must be the weekend for Souta to be in the well house so early in the morning I thought to myself. I walked into the kitchen and saw my mother over the stove preparing lunch.

"Hi, mom. I'm back for a quick visit to gather supplies for the children. I'm going to look for the books you gave Souta and I when we were younger to learn numbers and letters," I say as I place a kiss on her cheek.

"That sounds good, sweety. Why the sudden interest in teaching the children?" My mother asked as she turned around to look at me.

"Sesshomaru asked me to teach Rin what it means to be human. He's yokai, so he doesn't know what it is she needs to know. It's mostly unheard of for youkai to travel with humans much less take care of a human child. I guess he feels inadequate when it comes to raising her," I say with a shrug.

"Do you mean the Sesshomaru that tried to kill you several times? That Sesshomaru?" my mom asked incredulously.

"He's been traveling with us for the last couple months. He seems to be warming up to us a little bit plus he must trust me a bit to let me teach his ward," I answer nonchalantly.

"Well, I know you will do a good job. You always were good with children," Mother turned around and continued stirring what she was cooking on the stove.

"About that..." my voice trailed off in my embarrassment to finish what I was saying, "Mom, what should I tell Rin to explain her period to her? I'm sure she's never even been around other women who could teach her about such things."

"Just be honest with her, honey. Tell her that it's her body's way of getting ready to have children when she's old enough," my mother answered.

"Well, I guess I can say that. I just don't want to make it too awkward for her. I guess I'll go gather the books now, and I will go to the store and get some notebooks, pencils, crayons and coloring books as well," I say as I walk into the living room to look at the bookshelves to see what books I will bring.

I saw the books about letters and numbers. It was a bit rudimentary but it's a good foundation. I can always come back and get books that will be more suited to them as they learn. Being that she would be starting her monthly cycle soon, I don't want to just give her a book to read when she finally learns to read. I suppose that it will have to be something I teach her about sooner rather than later. I groaned to myself before putting all the books on the table in the kitchen before grabbing my money out of my room and hurrying to the store to get the supplies I need.

-Page Break-

A short time later, I head home with all of the items I need for the trip. I got some extra tea, a new backpack, ramen for Inuyasha, notebooks, pencils, crayons, and coloring books to keep the children occupied. When I got home, I stuffed all of the stuff I bought into my new backpack before I walked up to my mom in the kitchen and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I wanted to talk to you before I leave, mom," I say tentatively before sitting down at the table.

"Oh? What did you want to talk about Kagome?" My mom walked over to the table and sat down beside me.

"We finally defeated Naraku but the jewel still isn't complete," I say as I show her the piece of the jewel around my neck.

"You finally defeated that bad demon? I'm so sorry that you didn't finish the jewel, Kagome. I know you were looking forward to the end of this jewel nonsense," my mom hugged me as I started crying from frustration.

"Part of me wants it finished and gone and the other part of me hopes that it's never completed, so that I can have both of my families. Sesshomaru and Rin are going to be traveling with us now, so it's like my family got bigger in the feudal era. Sesshomaru may not see it that way, but he is Inuyasha's brother. Oh mom, Inuyasha still keeps running to Kikyo. It's so sad to see. All of us in the group knows that she shouldn't be there, but Inuyasha insists that she'll be able to stay. I don't know what the jewel will do once the wish is made. I don't even know what to wish yet," I sit up and rub my eyes by the time I'm finished speaking.

"Knowing what to wish for will come in time, Kagome. Didn't you say it must be a selfless wish? You are the most selfless person I know. We will support you no matter what happens," my mom pats me on the head before giving me a big hug.

"I'm just worried about how everything will turn out," I whisper before letting my mom go.

"It'll be fine."

Silence fell over us for a few minutes. We were both in our own minds.

"I guess I had better get back. They're expecting me before the end of the day," I say as I give my mom one last hug before getting up and grabbing my backpack.

"Be careful, Kagome. We will see you when you come back," my mom said as she walked back into the kitchen to finish washing the dishes.

"Yes ma'am," I answer as I walk out of the door and back to the well house. I sit on top of the well before swinging my legs over and jumping in.

-Page Break-

"Kagome's back!" I hear Shippo yelling in excitement above me.

I feel an arm wrap around my waist and then the ground is no longer underneath my feet for a few seconds before we touch back down on the soft grass a few feet from the well. Sesshomaru takes my backpack off of my shoulders before he takes a few steps away from me.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," I say as I smile up at him.

"Hnn," Sesshomaru hums in response.

"Kagome!" Shippo jumps into my arms excitedly.

"I was just gone for a couple hours, Shippo," I hug him tightly to my chest before pulling him back to see into his face.

"Any time away from you is too much," Shippo says before burying his face in my chest.

I pet his hair before I feel a small hand grab my skirt and pull a little bit. I look down to see Rin, and I sit down so that I can hug both of the children to me.

"Hello, Rin," I say with a small smile on my face.

"Hello, Kagome-sama," Rin answers with a huge grin.

"Miko, we need to return to the village. The others have been waiting," Sesshomaru speaks up.

Sesshomaru is standing beside us with my backpack slung over his shoulder. I look up at him and see a hint of fondness in his eyes before he abruptly turns away.

"Okay, Shippo and Rin. Let's get up so we can go back to the village," I say cheerfully.

The children and I get up and they both grab each of my hands before walking quietly back to the village. As I walk into the village, I see Sango and Miroku standing outside of Kaede's hut speaking quietly to each other.

"Where's Inuyasha?" I ask curiously although I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

"Well, since we aren't leaving until tomorrow morning..." Miroku's voice trailed off.

"Well, that's fine. Perhaps we can heat up some water to make ramen for lunch. After that, Rin and I can go gather herbs for the trip," I say cheerfully before going into Kaede's hut to start a fire with the firewood up against the wall.

I get the fire going and start making the ramen before splitting it into servings for everyone. While I was cooking, Sango, Miroku and the children all sat down waiting for their share. Sesshomaru put my bag down against the wall and then sat down beside it. Everyone ate in silence. I started thinking about when would be an appropriate time to tell Rin about her time of the month, and I figure now would be the best time because I can bring her away from the boys to talk to her without worrying about danger overmuch.

After Rin and I finished, I grabbed her hand a pulled her out of the hut. Shippo and Sesshomaru followed me out. I drop Rin's hand before turning slightly but not enough to look at Sesshomaru as I talk.

"Sesshomaru, I need to speak to Rin about something that's... um... private. It's a girl thing, and I don't know how she will react when I tell her, but it's important that I do tell her," I mumble nervously without turning around.

I'm not entirely sure how he will react to what I'm saying and it makes me nervous because I do not want to offend the Lord of the West in any way, shape, or form.

"That is acceptable. The kit and I will be close enough that if you should need us, we will be there," Sesshomaru answered after a few seconds of thought.

I physically sag in relief before taking Rin's hand and leading her to the forest. There is a clearing not too far into the forest by Kaede's home. I sit down with Rin and calmly explain what each herb is.

"This herb is good for sprains, cuts, and bruises. This herb is good for helping headaches and mild pains. This herb is good for when you have an upset stomach. I'll teach you how to use them after you learn how to identify them," I point to each individual plant before I pull them out of the ground and pile them into my lap.

"Okay, Kagome-sama," Rin answers cheerfully.

I spend a few more moments pulling up herbs before getting myself together enough to have the conversation that I need to have with Rin.

"Rin, there is something I must tell you. It may be a little embarrassing, but I feel you are old enough that you should know."

"Yes, Kagome-sama?" Rin asked curiously.

"As a girl grows up, her body changes so she can have a baby. The reason her body changes is because her body is getting a place ready for the baby to grow inside of her. The place where a baby grows is called a uterus. Every month the uterus wall gets ready for a baby. If there is no baby, the uterus wall comes off and causes blood to come out of her. The uterus makes a new wall every month, so that's why every month you'll bleed. Periods can last from 5-7 moons. Do you understand, Rin?" I ask her.

"So Rin will bleed for 5-7 moons every month?" Rin asked curiously.

"Yes, you'll bleed right here," I cup my hand under my sex to show her what I mean.

Rin's eyes widened a little bit but she didn't say another word.

"A month is generally 28-30 moons long. So, during every month you will bleed for 5-7 moons. It doesn't normally hurt a lot. You may have cramps, but it isn't meant to hurt too bad. If it does hurt too bad then just tell me or Sesshomaru so we can help you," I say comfortingly as I put my arms around Rin.

"Are you going to tell Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked quietly.

"I am pretty sure he already knows about this, Rin. I just think he wanted me to tell you since I'm a girl too," I answer reassuringly.

We sat quietly together for a few moments before Rin jumped up and started looking for something.

"Rin? Are you okay?" I ask while I grab the herbs in my lap before standing up to see what the young girl was doing.

"Rin is okay, Kagome-sama. I was looking for flowers for Sesshomaru-sama," Rin said with a big grin on her face.

I helped her find a bundle of pink and white flowers before we head back to the village with her hand in mine.

"Miko," Sesshomaru greets us as we walk back into the village.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Rin got you flowers!" Rin ran up to him excitedly before holding out the flowers to him.

"Thank you, Rin," Sesshomaru took the flowers from Rin before turning to me, "Rin, go in the miko's hut. This one wishes to speak with Kagome."

"Hai, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin says cheerfully as she walks into Kaede's hut.

"Are we on a first name basis now, Sesshomaru-sama?" I ask him teasingly.

He shoots me a look before he grabs my elbow and pulls me a little ways away from the hut.

"This Sesshomaru wants to know what you have told Rin," He said as he let my elbow go and took a step backwards.

"I was merely telling her about her time of the month. I didn't think it was a good idea to tell her on the journey because we wouldn't be able to get too much alone time away from Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo once we leave the village," I answer calmly.

"You decided to start your teaching by telling her about that?" Sesshomaru asked with his head tilted to the side.

I giggle uncontrollably at him before I cover my mouth at his questioning glare.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I assure you that she should be starting her time of the month soon, and because of that, I just wanted to warn her since you seemed uncomfortable with it," I giggled a little more while I answered him.

"Cease your giggling, woman," Sesshomaru ordered with a glare.

"You looked like a dog with your head tilted to the side like that. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it. It was so adorable," I say as I take a step towards him with a smile on my face.

"This Sesshomaru is an inu, Miko," He growled while looking at me approaching him.

"You are a dog yokai in human form. It's not the same as what I'm thinking. I'll have to bring a picture back next time I go through the well."

"If you must," Sesshomaru answered trying not to look curious about the idea.

A few seconds of silence passed before I grew serious once more.

"I will be starting their schooling tomorrow. I don't really think Rin understands the importance of what I told her today, she will in time, of course, so I will not worry for now. Perhaps one of us will be around to help her when the time comes," I spoke casually.

"This one is not looking forward to that day," Sesshomaru's eyes showed his reluctance to the idea.

"Rin is a smart girl. She will be able to learn quickly enough that you shouldn't have to deal with it more than a reasonable amount of time if it happens when no one else is around to help her," I respond to ease his worry.

"This one hopes so."

When Sesshomaru was finished speaking he walked into Kaede's hut with the children, and I followed him. By then it was evening and it was time for me to cook supper. I cooked the ramen I had in my backpack and served everyone except for Sesshomaru (who didn't want any). We all ate in silence and then got ready to go to bed. Sesshomaru sat against the wall watching over all of us as we slept.

-page break-

(Guys, I was dreading this chapter so much! I'm so sorry it took so long for the update. I kept going back and forth with this chapter trying to decide how to write it. I wasn't sure how in depth I should go. I know Kagome has much more knowledge in her era than in the Feudal Era, so I wanted to make it seem like she was knowledgeable but also not be too much for Rin. Children kind of have this tendency to blow everything off until it becomes important to them, so I thought I could incorporate that here. Having a period or being a woman doesn't concern her now because it hasn't happened yet. I was also trying to make this easier on both parties because period talk can be uncomfortable for people who aren't family. Sesshomaru is a guy, so I figured it would be downright weird for him to talk to her about it. She's not likely to leave his side so... Anywho... I'm glad it's over because I was struggling so much with this chapter. I wanted it to be perfect. Leave me reviews even if you don't like how I handled it.)

ipod reader: I laughed when I read your latest review. That would be pretty funny.

One2handcuff: I love that idea so much!

You are all so wonderful, and I hope I'm not messing this up! Thank you so much for reading my story.


	7. Chapter 6

**Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai**

*Inuyasha tends to be away a lot now since Naraku's defeat. I'm not a particular fan of Kikyo as she was in the manga/anime, but I will include her in a better light in my story later on. *

Author's Note: From here on out, I think I will start using third person pov. I don't think it was a good idea on my part to keep shifting between Sesshomaru and Kagome's pov with all the information I'm trying to pack into these chapters. I'm really sorry if that makes reading this difficult.

Chapter Six:

When the sunlight filtered through the windows of Kaede's hut, the group started preparing to leave to find the remaining shards. Kohaku was still missing, and Koga had yet to show up either. They made breakfast and ate as Inuyasha returned to the village. When breakfast was finished, they packed up everything they would need and started their journey.

"I think we should make a plan. We can't hunt for the jewel shards like we did before. We ended up wasting a lot of time just wandering around aimlessly," Kagome said as they started walking out of the village.

"I'm inclined to agree with Kagome. We need to gather information on any rogue yokai that may have come across the jewel shards. Perhaps visiting human villages in the area to see if they have heard anything about the shards would be a wise course of action. We have many yokai in our group, so the humans in the group will have to go into the villages," Miroku answered thoughtfully.

"We can't just let y'all go into the villages unprotected. What if they try anything?" Inuyasha asked heatedly.

"A miko, monk, and taijiya would be just fine going into the human villages, Inuyasha. We have all the power we could need to protect ourselves especially if Sesshomaru is going to teach Kagome how to protect herself. Perhaps in the process, she will learn how to use her powers better," Miroku answered.

"This one is not in the habit of going into human villages without a reason," Sesshomaru spoke quietly.

"Most humans don't trust yokai anyway. We had problems with people before because of the yokai in our group as I'm sure you remember, Inuyasha," Kagome said pointedly.

"I made a mistake all those years ago trying to get the jewel for myself. I no longer want the jewel to make myself a full yokai," Inuyasha frowned.

"While that may be, humans are stubborn. They know that yokai use the jewel for evil purposes. We do not have the time to try and convince people that you are not an evil yokai. It would be easiest if Sango, Kagome, and I went into the villages and asked around," Miroku stated calmly.

"Then it is settled. We will head east to the nearest village and ask around to see if we can find any information then move on to the next village. Yokai are widespread unless they live in packs like Koga and the other wolf tribes," Kagome started walking towards the front of their group.

The others started following Kagome as she led them to the village nearest them. As they walked, Sesshomaru fell to the back of the pack with Rin, Ah-Un, and Jaken. Inuyasha walked next to Kagome and Sango and Miroku stayed in the middle. Sango held Kirara in her arms and Shippo sat upon Kagome's shoulder. They stayed quiet most of the way to the village.

When they approached the village Inuyasha grudgingly stayed behind with Sesshomaru as Kagome, Sango, and Miroku walked to the village. Shippo jumped off of Kagome's shoulder at her request and went to sit with Rin on Ah-Un. They talked excitedly to one another.

"We will stay close enough that should they need us, we will know," Sesshomaru walked off the path and into the forest so that they could sit and wait for the others.

"Keh!" Inuyasha growled as he jumped into the nearest tree before settling down.

-Page Break-

As the miko, monk, and taijiya asked everyone in the village if they heard anything about any yokai causing havoc a shadow nearby watched quietly. They hid themselves well so that they could watch the humans. When they could not gather any information from the villagers, they went back to find Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. The shadow followed them and hid their yoki from them.

"No one has heard anything recently. It has been quiet in the village," Miroku announced when he saw Sesshomaru sitting against a tree while the children played near Au-Un.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to a spot behind the small group that had come back from the village before he returned his gaze back to the small group.

"We knew it wouldn't be easy to gather information. There aren't too many more jewel shards to find," Kagome said, upbeat.

"We wasted a whole day for nothing," Inuyasha griped from his spot in the tree.

"We have a lot of ground to cover, Inuyasha. It will take time, especially if one yokai holds all the shards like Naraku did."

"We don't need another Naraku," Inuyasha said as he jumped off the tree and landed next to Sesshomaru.

"We may very well have another Naraku to contend with, but we don't know just yet. We will find them eventually," Miroku sat down as he spoke.

"We will make camp for tonight and head out tomorrow to the next village," Kagome said as she sat next to Miroku.

Sango sat down next to them with Kirara in her lap.

"I'll go get some firewood then," Inuyasha stomped off into the forest.

"He seems to be even more grumpy than usual," Sango spoke up.

"The miko has been acting as alpha of this pack," Sesshomaru stood.

"Isn't she, Sesshomaru-sama?" Miroku asked with an amused smirk on his face.

"It would appear that she is, monk," Sesshomaru turned on his heel and left.

"I would assume he is going to hunt. When Inuyasha gets back we can start the fire," Miroku announced.

Kagome laid down on her back with her arms propped behind her head.

"I'm not alpha of the pack," Kagome thought out loud to her friends.

"Inuyokai have packs and they are usual the alpha or the alpha bitch, so it stands to reason that Inuyasha would be upset that you are taking charge of leading the pack even if it wasn't your intent," Sango reassured Kagome.

"We all have the same end goal, so I didn't think it would matter who lead us or not. Besides we have never established that we are a pack. Inuyasha originally started looking for the shards for his own wants not for the greater good of all involved."

"Perhaps he doesn't know that you don't consider yourself his pack, Kagome. Either way, it stands to reason that whatever his thoughts are that his heart and mind are elsewhere. He may not realize where we stand with him," Miroku offered.

"I always thought of us as a group of friends traveling together to defeat a great evil and to destroy this stupid jewel so that it may not cause harm to others again," Kagome rolled over onto her side to look at Shippo and Rin as they played tag seemingly unaware of the heavy conversation.

Kagome saw a shadow move slightly behind the children. She sat up suddenly straining her eyes to see if the shadow would move again. It did not move with shadows around it and that caused her to worry.

"Is something wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked worriedly when she saw her friend sit up suddenly.

"I thought I saw a shadow behind the children. It seemed to be different than the shadows of the trees. Perhaps I was seeing things," Kagome rubbed her eyes.

"I've heard of yokai being able to use shadows to remain unseen by others," Sango said with an edge in her voice.

Kagome used her powers to see if she could sense anything from that direction. All that she could feel were Sango and Miroku and the others but no foreign yoki or auras.

"Here's your wood," Inuyasha dropped the wood in a pile in front of them, "is something wrong?"

"Kagome said she saw an unnatural shadow behind the children," Sango explained.

"How long ago?" Inuyasha asked as he walked behind the children to sniff around.

"Shortly before you returned," Kagome answered.

"I don't smell anything. Maybe it left when it sensed I was close," Inuyasha walked around a little while longer before coming to sit beside them.

Miroku moved to pile the wood to start the fire. Kagome got her matches and started the fire when he was finished. As the fire roared to life, Sesshomaru walked out of the woods with a boar in his hands. As they cleaned the boar and got it cooking, Kagome explained to Sesshomaru she saw.

"There are yokai that can use the shadows. This one thought he saw something similar when you returned from the village," Sesshomaru answered as he sat against a tree close by.

"This does not bode well for our journey," Miroku frowned.

"Perhaps not. We will have to be careful from now on."

The group ate and prepared for the night ahead of them. Inuyasha perched in the tree Sesshomaru was leaning against and the others of the group settled down for the night.

-Page Break-

*I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter written. I am grateful for the reviews. Thank you all so much for the support. ? *


	8. Chapter 7

**Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai**

(Kagome's lessons are early in the morning before they start their day and the children's lessons will be in the evening when they eat and get ready to finish the day.)

Chapter 7:

-The Next Morning-

"You can't effectively use a bow and arrows in a close range fight. You'll have to learn how to use your reiki in order to fight close range. It may benefit you to get some sort of sword or smaller weapon that allows you to get close. Being a miko has advantages because you will have the element of surprise if you use anything other than a bow. Most will think you defenseless if you don't use a bow and it could give you an advantage in battle," Sesshomaru stood a short ways in front of Kagome as he explained.  
"If I practice hand to hand with reiki wouldn't that hurt you?" Kagome asked worriedly.  
"If you learn to control it, it won't be a problem. You will have to expend quite a lot of reiki to truly injure this one."  
"What do you want me to start doing, then?" Kagome asked.  
"Practice channeling reiki into your hands," Sesshomaru demonstrated by allowing acid to drip from his claws.  
"How?" Kagome looked pointedly from her hands to Sesshomaru.  
"Imagine your power... let it take whatever shape you feel is right and push it to travel to your hands," Sesshomaru answered calmly.  
Kagome concentrated on her reiki. She imagined it as a flame in the center of her body. She urged the reiki to travel from the center of her body down her arms and nearly to her hands before it pulled back like a rubber band. She groaned aloud.  
"Try again," Sesshomaru ordered.  
She tried again to push it from her body into her hands and succeeded before it snapped back abruptly. She immediately tried again without prompting. It reached her hands and lasted a few seconds before it snapped back.  
"You have to train your reiki to do as you want it to do. Control it," Sesshomaru walked around her.  
She tried to concentrate a ball of reiki in her hand. Her hand glowed pink and she thrust her hand out toward Sesshomaru to show him. He lifted an eyebrow at her and she grinned ear to ear. It died out shortly after.  
"You will start out learning how to control your reiki and then when you have learned to control it, this one will teach you how to fight hand to hand," Sesshomaru came to stand directly in front of her.  
"I will keep practicing," Kagome said brightly.  
They walked back to the group a little ways away.  
"Are you ready to go already? We're wasting daylight," Inuyasha said, irate.  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome admonished.  
Inuyasha's ears flattened at the shrillness of her voice but didn't say anything.  
The group gathered their things and began walking to the next village further east. Kagome practiced using her reiki as she walked. The more she practiced the longer the ball stayed formed in her hand. They reached the next village around dinner time and chose to wait until the next morning to go into the village.  
Kagome gathered the books from her bag that hung from Ah-Un's saddle. She called the children to come sit with her a little ways away from the fire they had built.  
"This book is about numbers, she held up the children's book about numbers.  
Rin carefully took the book from her and started flipping through the pages.  
"This book is about letters. You need to learn letters so that you can read and write words," Kagome held up another book.  
Shippo took the book from her and opened it up the first page.  
The first page had the letter "a" written in hiragana. They slowly worked through sounding out several letters in hiragana before she grabbed two pencils and two notebooks. She handed each child a pencil and a notebook and instructed them to write out the first letter five times. After that they continued through 4 more letters writing them out five times each.  
"Tell me what each letter sounds like," Kagome instructed.  
They recited each of the letters they had written in their notebooks.  
"I know that you both know how to talk, stop this is a lesson how to read and write letters. It helps to connect the letters to their sounds that way you eventually learn how to write what you're saying. We will keep practicing writing each of the letters until you learn them enough to write sentences," Kagome told the children.  
"Okay, Kagame-sama," Rin chirped cheerfully.  
"Yes, Kagome," Shippo answered a little dolefully.  
"Cheer up, Shippo. You're going to be a powerful yokai someday. Fighting is just as important as learning how to read and write. It will help you later in life," Kagome pat his head.  
"This Sesshomaru knows how to read and write. He learned at a young age just like you. It helps this one to rule his lands. What the miko says is correct," Sesshomaru spoke up from the tree he was leaning against near them.  
"See? It may seem unimportant now, but you will eventually need to know these things," Kagome picked Shippo up and cradled him to her chest.  
Rin flipped through the letter book a little while longer before setting it down.  
"Thank you for the lesson, Kagome-sama," Rin said with a smile.  
"You are welcome, Rin-chan," Kagome moved Shippo to one side so that she could give the young girl a hug.  
Sesshomaru nodded his head approvingly at Rin over Kagome's shoulder. Shippo and Rin leapt off of Kagome's lap and started playing nearby. Kagome gathered their materials and returned them to her backpack before settling down to make ramen for their supper. They ate in silence before Kagome spoke up.  
"It's there a stream nearby? I would like to bathe," Kagome asked the two yokai.  
"I would like to join you, Kagome-chan," Sango said.  
"There's a stream a short ways that way," Inuyasha answered, pointing in the direction of the stream.  
"Sesshomaru, would you mind if Rin came with us?" Kagome asked looking at the daiyokai.  
"She can go with you. This one will be nearby if you need anything," Sesshomaru answered.  
The girls grabbed their things and headed to the stream.  
"How was your first lesson, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked when they were far enough away.  
"Sesshomaru started me off on learning how to control my reiki so that I can use it to fight close range. He said he plans to teach me hand to hand once I learn," Kagome answered cheerfully.  
"Wouldn't your reiki hurt him?"  
"He said it wouldn't unless I use a lot of it at once, " Kagome frowned.  
"I can understand why he would think to teach you hand to hand. We don't always have the advantage to use a bow. You do have a tendency of getting kidnapped," Sango pointed out with a wry smile on her face.  
"I have wanted to learn how to defend myself in those situations. I don't have time to use my bow," Kagome said thoughtfully.

The girls made it to the stream and washed up before heading back to camp.

Sesshomaru considered them as they got ready for bed. Inuyasha was up in the tree above them watching out for them. Everyone else got comfortable and went to sleep.

"Have you been able to figure anything out about the shadow yokai that's been following us around?" Inuyasha asked quietly from his perch.

"Only that this one doesn't recall ever meeting this particular yokai. It seems to want to stay hidden for now. We will have to be careful on our journey," Sesshomaru answered just as quietly.

"Have you made plans for Kagome's training?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"This one wants her to learn how to use her reiki first. Her powers are strong and would become stronger should she learn how to use them correctly. This one has no doubt that she will surpass most miko,"

"How long will it take for her to master her reiki?"

"With her determination, it shouldn't be too long."

"What happens after she learns how to properly use her reiki?"

Sesshomaru sighed quietly. Inuyasha normally didn't have conversations with Sesshomaru. His interest in having one now was odd in of itself.

"This one will teach her how to fight hand-to-hand. She needs to know how to fight in close quarters. I suggested she get some kind of small weapon she can carry that would help her be able to throw off her enemies," Sesshomaru glanced up at Inuyasha still perched in the tree.

"Maybe we can find something in one of the human villages. She may need something stronger than a human weapon though with her powers," Inuyasha grasped his chin in thought.

"Totosai might be able to make a strong enough weapon for her, but I don't know whose fang I should use to make it," Sesshomaru answered calmly.

"I could use one of mine. She is part of my pack. She needs to learn how to defend herself, so she doesn't get kidnapped all the time. I just never imagined you would be the one to teach her."

"Perhaps we could ask her tomorrow who she would be most comfortable with," Sesshomaru answered with an air of indifference.

"I wanted to teach her how to fight, but I barely know the basics myself. I don't want to get her hurt by trying to teach her. I don't really use my yoki to fight, so I never mastered it. It seemed wrong to try and teach her myself," Inuyasha said wistfully.

"You were wise in that decision," Sesshomaru looked up at Inuyasha briefly, "you have protected her for the most part since she has started traveled with you."

Inuyasha nearly fell out of the tree in surprise at Sesshomaru's complement.

"Yeah, well, I do my best," Inuyasha answered in a huff when he regained his balance.

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest as he looked up at the tree branches overhead.

"I never thought I would be traveling with anyone much less humans. The humans from my mom's village never wanted to have anything to do with me and neither did the yokai. I always felt alone and unwanted. Then Kagome showed up and took the arrow out of my chest. It was like the kami were giving me a second chance to make everything right," Inuyasha spoke quietly.

"Your intentions when you first met her were to use the shikon jewel to make yourself full-yokai," Sesshomaru reminded him.

"That was when we first started out. I was still mad at Kikyo for pinning me to the tree. I wasn't the one trying to steal the jewel that day. Naraku made himself look like me and tried to steal the jewel. If it weren't for him, I might not ever have met Kagome."

"If you had to choose between her and the clay golem, who would you choose?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.

"Keh! I don't know. They have both been important people in my life. I know that Kikyo being here is unnatural, but I can't help my feelings for her even after all this time. I almost chose to use the jewel to become human, so that I could live with her until the end of our days. It was hard because I knew I would never be accepted anywhere I went. She claimed to accept me, but I don't know with everything that happened. The Kikyo I knew before and the Kikyo that walks the earth now are two different people but when I see her, I think of all we had before Naraku."

"You would let her drag you to hell?"

"Who told you that? Kagome?" at Sesshomaru's nod, Inuyasha answered, "No, I have to be here to protect Kagome."

"Are you hoping that when Kagome makes the wish on the completed jewel that Kikyo might truly come back from the dead?"

"Part of me does but the other part of me just wants Kikyo to be at peace. It's selfish to wish she was alive, but I can't help it. I care about Kagome, but I don't think I could truly care for her like I do with Kikyo."

"So you wouldn't be opposed to her finding someone else then?"

"Of course not! She can be with whoever she wants," Inuyasha huffed in indignation.

"You do realize that she is human and may not understand how a pack works? If she does know what a pack is and how it works, she may not consider herself part of your pack. When we started this journey to find the missing jewel shards, she started acting more like an alpha. I would suggest you talk to her and see how she feels about it."

"I'm not too sure how pack works either, honestly. I just consider them my own and protect them the best way I know how. I wasn't exactly raised in or around packs, ya know," Inuyasha looked down at Sesshomaru.

"This one is aware," Sesshomaru answered quietly.

Inuyasha grew contemplative after Sesshomaru's admission.

"I don't blame you for what happened back then. You had responsibilities, and I understand you were angry about the old man. I don't blame you for anything," Inuyasha spoke so quietly, Sesshomaru almost didn't hear him.

"This one... I wanted to be there for you but didn't know how. I was raised to be calculating and cold. I never had much use for things such as compassion and never understood Father's depth of feeling towards your mother and it drove a wedge between us," Sesshomaru responded.

"All we can do now is move on and try our best to overcome our differences."

"Hnn."

**Okay guys! Here's another chapter. It's slightly OOC, but I feel like they needed to learn how to move on if they were going to keep traveling for awhile. Plus, I feel like after so long, Inuyasha should learn how to be more mature about things. I hope you guys like it!**


	9. Chapter 8

Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai

Chapter 8

*Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.*

Three days passed where Kagome learned how to channel her reiki effectively. She taught the children how to write individual letters. Things were quiet and the village that they visited the day before held no news of anything going on in the yokai world. Everything seemed relatively peaceful. The morning of the fourth day saw Sesshomaru teaching Kagome the basics of fighting hand to hand without her reiki. He started with self-defense in case there was ever an instance that she would be captured.

"You must learn an enemy's weak point in the event of a fight. Humans are generally weaker than yokai, so you wouldn't have to use as much force. If it is a male, then you will hit them where it would hurt the most," Sesshomaru said gesturing to different places on his body, "the face, the stomach, and their nethers."

Kagome watched him calmly, waiting for him to continue.

"You can stomp on their feet if they are behind you. Make sure to use all of your weight to catch them off balance. If they are behind you, use elbows to hit them where you can reach. You could hit them in the chest or the stomach, perhaps even their face. You have to be quick and steady to achieve an actual blow that will knock them off balance. Humans have no way of knowing what powers you have," Sesshomaru instructed as he walked to stand behind Kagome.

"I am a bit clumsy, so it may take me some time to learn balance," Kagome mumbled thoughtfully.

Sesshomaru wrapped his arm around Kagome's neck and pulled slightly to get her close to him.

"You will need to learn how to do this without your powers first. Concentrated blasts of reiki will harm yokai, so by learning this you can learn how best to defend yourself with your reiki. I want you to try to get out of my hold using what I just told you without your reiki," Sesshomaru gripped her firmly against him as he spoke.

Kagome thought for a second on how best to go about attacking him. With his words in mind she tried to lash out with her elbow. Her elbow connected with Sesshomaru's stomach before she pivoted to strike him in the face. Sesshomaru stepped backwards as her fist connected with his face. He gave her a small smirk before he repeated the maneuver a few more times to see that she understood.

"Yokai will be much quicker than humans, Kagome. You will have to learn how to keep your mind focused on getting away from them. Learning how to get away will give you a chance to erect a barrier or to run if you can," Sesshomaru went to stand in front of her again.

"Okay," Kagome answered.

"You don't have to erect a barrier outside of yourself. You can use your reiki to shield only yourself. That's why I wanted you to learn how to channel your reiki. You can use it as an invisible barrier to surround only your body, so that if a yokai touches you, they will be burned. I want you to practice making a barrier like that," Sesshomaru moved a step closer to her as he spoke.

"How would I do that? I haven't tried channeling my reiki that way before," Kagome asked curiously.

"Will it to run like a current across your skin. Do not leave anything vulnerable. Yokai will know you are a miko, and they will not expect you to use your reiki in this way. We must not give them any openings to harm you. If you succeed in learning this, the risk of your abduction will lessen."

Kagome focused on getting her reiki to run along her skin. When it didn't work, she groaned.

"Focus. Do not force it. Try to imagine it running along your skin like water. Not enough to draw attention to what you are doing, but enough so that it is there and can protect you should something happen. I will attempt to abduct you, and you must use your reiki to fend me off," Sesshomaru stood still for several seconds before attempting to grab her forcefully.

Kagome gasped roughly before he let her go only to attempt to try and use her reiki to shield her. A barrier surrounded her in a pink orb.

"Bring it inside of yourself, Kagome," Sesshomaru directed her patiently.

Kagome pulled her reiki in as best she could and when the orb disappeared, he attempted to grab her again. When Sesshomaru touched her arm, his hand burned slightly.

"Better. Again," Sesshomaru moved quickly to grab her from behind, and she gasped when he touched her shoulder. She felt her reiki brush against his hand, and he pulled back.

"You will need to practice this, so that you will be able to call on your reiki quickly. If you are caught by surprise, channel your reiki so that you will harm them enough to let you go. Concentrated blasts of reiki will force your enemy to release you. It will give you enough time to defend yourself should you need to. I will attempt to grab you at random times to get you used to the idea of defending yourself," Sesshomaru couldn't help the smirk that graced his features.

"Perhaps we should warn the others, so they don't worry about what you are doing," Kagome grinned at Sesshomaru.

"We will speak to the others," Sesshomaru answered.

Kagome and Sesshomaru walked back to camp and saw the others sitting under the canopy of trees in the forest they were in.

"Momma!" Shippo jumped up from where he was sitting with Rin.

Shippo jumped up into her arms and she hugged him to her.

"How was training?" Miroku asked with a mischievous smile.

"Sesshomaru has been training me how to use my reiki as a barrier to shield myself from yokai attempting to grab me as well as hand to hand," Kagome answered cheerfully.

Kagome shifted Shippo so that he sat on her shoulder while she walked to sit down beside her friends. Sesshomaru sat down against a tree close by. A short silence followed as they settled themselves in the group.

"I think this is a good time to talk about something important," Inuyasha jumped down from his perch in the tree Sesshomaru chose to lean against.

"Is something wrong, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"No, nothing is wrong. I just feel like there's something we need to talk about," Inuyasha ran his hands through his hair nervously before sitting down beside his friends.

Inuyasha glanced at Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru nodded his head to him reassuringly.

"Okay. What's up?" Kagome asked as she turned to face Inuyasha.

"I'm not sure how to start, so I will just say this. I consider the group as pack. I haven't really been around anyone to teach me how pack really works, but I do consider all of you as my pack," Inuyasha blushed as he looked down at his hands in his lap.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha before speaking up.

"I appreciate that you consider us as family, Inuyasha, but I don't know how I feel about being an actual pack," Kagome answered.

"To be part of a pack would mean that Inuyasha is our alpha. We follow his lead. None of us would have gotten this far without Inuyasha even if he isn't able to be a proper alpha because you continuously challenge his right as alpha without even realizing it," Miroku spoke trying to diffuse the problem that has been bothering his dear friend.

"I'm not familiar with this at all. In my time everyone is seen as equals. The only time someone has been my better is my mother as she has been raising me. I have always done things my own way. It's difficult to assume the role of pack when I have to listen to someone else's decisions above my own."

"You are an alpha bitch, which makes it hard on Inuyasha being that you are not inclined to be in a romantic relationship with him," Sesshomaru spoke quietly.

"All this time, I considered this group as nothing more than a group of friends working towards a common goal. I appreciate that Inuyasha thinks of us as pack. I'm not trying to discredit Inuyasha's feelings or opinions. I just wanted to be my own person and make my own decisions," Kagome frowned at Sesshomaru before glancing at Inuyasha, "I hadn't realized that being who I am has caused problems for Inuyasha."

"You aren't causing problems for me, Kagome," Inuyasha looked up at Kagome when he spoke.

"Pack is important to inuyokai," Sesshomaru answered calmly.

"I don't understand why this was brought up now. There is too much at stake to be worried about whether or not we are all in Inuyasha's pack. Wouldn't you be the rightful alpha?" Kagome asked Sesshomaru with a frustrated air.

"This Sesshomaru already has an established pack," Sesshomaru answered stiffly.

"So because I unknowingly challenged Inuyasha's right to be alpha," Kagome's voice trailed off while she got lost in thought, "I don't see how this changes things. We work together as a group, and I cannot just stop being who I am."

"That means that the group needs to make a choice," Miroku said decisively.

"I agree with Kagome. I don't see why this became important now. I realize that it is relatively peaceful and all but with all that we have been through it shouldn't make a difference. We have all been able to do what needs to be done as a group. We are all rather different, so I imagine that it would be difficult for us to be a true pack without acknowledging and alpha," Sango spoke up after being silent for much of the conversation.

"Are we or aren't we pack?" Inuyasha growled.

"I do not want to be part of a pack right now. Being an alpha bitch as Sesshomaru called me means that I cannot be a part of Inuyasha's pack," Kagome grabbed Shippo and held him close to comfort herself.

"I want to follow Kagome," Shippo snuggled Kagome back.

"Keh! Of course you do," Inuyasha grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"I think I will continue being a part of your pack, Inuyasha," Miroku rubbed his chin in thought before giving Inuyasha a saucy grin.

"Thank you, Miroku."

"I will continue being a part of your pack as well until something else changes. I just want you to know that as long as Kagome is around, I will do everything in my power to help her should she need it," Sango said passionately.

"I agree with that. We will protect Kagome as long as she needs us to," Miroku agreed.

"Alright, that works with me too," Inuyasha answered while looking towards Kagome.

Silence reigned over the group for a few moments. Inuyasha stood up abruptly before turning to leap back into his tree to watch over the group, effectively ending the conversation.

"Sesshomaru decided that it would be beneficial for him to attack me at random times to help me learn how to use my reiki to create a barrier over my skin. We were thinking it would help to keep me from getting abducted again since we know how many times I've been abducted in the past," Kagome spoke up after a few more moments of contemplative silence.

"It might take some getting used to," Miroku smiled at Kagome.

"He's an ally. We won't attack him if he teaches you how to defend yourself. Getting kidnapped is bad for your health," Sango laughed lightly.

Kagome blushed, burrowing her face in the top of Shippo's hair.

Sesshomaru was watching Kagome curiously all the while thinking about how she is not well versed in the ways of yokai. She needs an education on yokai if she wants to permanently live in this era.

-Page Break- Later that same day

"Miko, I would like to speak with you," Sesshomaru turned to walk into the forest knowing she would follow.

Kagome quickly made her way to Sesshomaru. They walked into the forest a little ways away before he began speaking to her.

"What are your plans when the jewel is completed?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.

"I'm not sure what will happen once I make the wish on the jewel. Should the well close I will be stuck in my time or in this era. I never really gave it much thought. I have families on both sides of the well," Kagome crossed her arms over her chest.

"Perhaps you should consider what your plans will be when that happens," Sesshomaru stopped walking to speak to her.

"Is there a reason for this conversation?" Kagome asked with a slightly annoyed expression.

"This one was contemplating teaching you the ways of yokai. You are a miko and had you been born in this time you would know more than you do about my kind. The kit thinks of you as his mother figure, does he not?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her.

"I..." Kagome's voice trailed off.

"Should you stay here, you know that the kit will have to eventually leave to go to Kitsune schooling. This one knows that the kit has been very attached to you since you found him after his parents' death. You would do well to learn how to properly take care of him should you stay in this time," Sesshomaru continued when she didn't speak for several moments.

"It isn't like I haven't wanted to learn about yokai, Sesshomaru," Kagome ran a hand through her hair in frustration, "Inuyasha was raised by humans, so he's clueless about how yokai truly are meant to be."

"Perhaps you would both benefit from my presence in this group. Inuyasha is an alpha by blood. I am an alpha by more than blood. One day he may learn how to be a proper alpha. Until then, you can learn yokai ways from me during our training if that is something you truly wish to learn," Sesshomaru responded.

"What would you be teaching me?" Kagome asked skeptically.

"Grooming is important for kits and pups. It helps them establish their relationship with their alphas. A pack is essentially an alpha and an alpha female in a romantic relationship raising young of their own. Of course, there are different types of pack but that is the most common one. You should know that you are essentially the kit's alpha as you are the only parental figure he has. He has rejected Inuyasha as his alpha, so that leaves you to teach him should you stay in this era," Sesshomaru decided to sit against a tree for the time being to finish the conversation.

"What is grooming?" Kagome asked as she sits down next to him.

"Bathing together mainly but also learning how to scent mark as well as being openly affectionate with the kit. Combing his hair is also a part of that. Grooming is mostly instinct for yokai. We rarely show affection publicly but when it is just pack, we tend to groom as often as possible for the sake of bonding with each other. This is what makes a pack."

"It sounds like pack is a more like a strong family if I were to associate it with my era. My mother used to comb my hair when I was a child, and she always made sure that I was taken care of and fed. Is that what you mean?"

"Pack always sees to the needs of the others in the pack. Alphas have the role of taking care of all of the individuals in the pack whether it's emotionally or physically."

"I think I understand," Kagome looked down at her hands in her lap as she contemplated what he said to her.

"The kit will be fine, but it would help if you learned how to do these things to help him grow as a yokai. He needs to know how to have a pack of his own should he wish to have one when he's old enough to mate."

"The Kitsune school will teach him how to fight and use his powers?" Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru when she asked.

"Yes."

"Will it be enough?"

Sesshomaru shrugged uncharacteristically.

"This one is not well versed in the ways of Kitsune," Sesshomaru answered.

"I will consider it. Thank you for telling me about this, Sesshomaru," Kagome stood up then and started walking back to the camp.

Sesshomaru followed quietly behind her. When they returned to camp, the others were preparing food for them to eat before they retired for the night. They ate in relative silence before they turned in for the night. Shippo curled up with Kagome and sighed happily.

"Shippo, do you consider me as a mother figure?" Kagome asked quietly as she stroked his hair.

"Yes, of course I do," Shippo answered just as quietly.

"Would you like it if I stayed with you in this era if I am able to?"

Shippo turned to look at Kagome with a surprised look on his face.

"Only if that's what you want, Kagome," Shippo answered with a hopeful look on his face.

"After the jewel is completed, we will see if I can stay in this time. I will try to learn how to properly take care of you," Kagome teared up a little as she continued stroking his hair.

"Does this mean that we might be pack someday?" Shippo squealed excitedly.

"Shh," Kagome shushed him, "yes, maybe one day."

"I would like to be in a pack with you, Kagome. Maybe I could start calling you momma," Shippo's pouted as he spoke.

"Oh, Shippo," Kagome grabbed him and pulled him against her chest, "you can call me momma now if you would like."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now let's go to bed. We have an early morning ahead of us."

They both fell asleep to the sounds of the forest around them with hope in their hearts for the future. All the while a shadow was lurking in the woods around them listening to their conversation, plotting.

-Page Break-

*I am so sorry for taking so long to update. I wanted Kagome to learn what it meant to be pack and how important it was for yokai like Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and Shippo. I also wanted to establish who is in who's pack (if that makes sense) seeing as how the story will progress for a short while. I feel pack should be important to yokai especially for Inuyokai and Kitsune. I hope I got it right! 'Til next time! I'll try to update more often. :)

P.S. Thank you so much for the reviews. I very much appreciate it. Have a wonderful rest of your day, and I'm glad you are liking it so far. :)


	10. Chapter 9

Shards, Miko, Hanyou, and Daiyokai will be in a temporary haitus and may or may not be completed. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and I will try to update it as soon as I am able. I hope you all are doing well during this quarantine period and please stay safe.


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